One Foot in Front of the Other
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Raising money for a cause close to his heart, Johnathan Hewis, who has run many marathons, triathlons, and ultra-marathons, took on the 167.5km long Ultra Trail Kosci-Miler (UTK-M) on the 9th December, 2023.
The strenuous challenge involved traversing the highest peak in Australia, including just over 2,000 metres of elevation and variable temperatures ranging from below freezing to 30 C. Johnathan spent much of his clinical career in radiography, caring for people with cancer.
In 2023, he was touched by Chris O’Brien Lifehouse’s choir performance at the opening ceremony for the ASMIRT conference (the Australian Society for Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy). It was so inspiring that he decided to raise funds to support the critical work and research at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse.
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“Ultra-Trail Kosci Miler was brutal but spectacular! We experienced crazy weather duringthe event, including high temperatures, strong winds, and torrential lightning storms. The volume of water on the course dramatically added to the challenge, making it highly waterlogged, muddy, and very slippery 30% of the field did not finish, with many struggling with blisters and hypothermia during the night.
My feet were soaked, and I developed very large blisters covering both my forefoot soles, which was excruciatingly painful. The last 80km became a hobble but I managed to pull through and finish. UTK is by far the toughest endurance challenge I have ever done. A huge thanks to my partner Nicola, my brother-in-law Michael, and all who donated to such a wonderful cause!”
Johnathan managed to raise more than $2,000 and completed the UTK-M in a very impressive 30 hours and 53 minutes. We are immensely grateful for Johnathan’s commitment and generosity.
If you or someone you know is interested in hosting a community fundraising event follow this link or for more information email development.office@lh.org.au
